Robert's Ritual Robert Fauster has a plan. Kill himself so his wife and son can collect the insurance money. But the plan will only be another failure-or so he's told by the man who arranged his kidnapping from the barstool where Robert had last passed out. This mysterious man can spot fraud and assures him any insurance company can do the same. He has a counter offer. They've been looking for men like him-veterans with the disposition to run a suicide operation to remove a bad man. If he'll do it, they'll double his payout to his wife and child. Now, surgically implanted with explosives set to a pacemaker kill switch, he's ready to run his first-and final-mission. But like many desperate men before him, he'll learn that some deals are best left on the table. Tom s Browne is a Vermont talent whose breakthrough book seamlessly blends the adrenaline barrage of a thriller with the keen twists of a sci-fi backbone. Sleek and evocative, his artful blend of creativity is the best of both genres.